CLIPPERS 107, UTAH 96: Clips get tough, stretch streak to 17

They wanted highlight-reel caliber plays but settled for a mostly earth-bound game.

Somehow, some way, the Clippers battled through the Utah Jazz and a less-than-favorable style of play and still managed to win their 17 th consecutive game, a sluggish 107-96 victory Sunday night in front of a sellout crowd of 19,111 at Staples Center.

Lob City took the night off, replaced by something without a catchy nickname. This time the Clippers won with a little extra muscle around the basket, one more push in the back of an opposing player, a more physical game than they are known for playing.

In the end, the Clippers played small ball and did just fine.

Caron Butler scored 14 of the Clippers' first 18 points en route to 29 points, including 6 for 6 on 3-pointers. They survived a rough patch near the end of the third quarter and pulled just far enough away late in the game to prompt their fans to stand and cheer as the final seconds ticked down.

"Usually, we let them jump up and down once or twice after a win," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. "Tonight, we let them jump up and down three or four times and they got their fill, and now they have their loud music on in there (in the locker room)."

The Clippers will try for their 18 th consecutive win Tuesday against the Nuggets in Denver. Then they play the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday in Oakland. Then they play the Lakers on Friday at Staples Center. Then they play the Warriors again at Staples.

"Tough," Del Negro said of the days ahead. "Tough week."

Tough was a good way to describe the Clippers' past two victories, when they rallied from a 19-point deficit to defeat the Jazz on Friday in Salt Lake City and then had to bump and grind with them to pull out a narrow victory in Sunday's rematch in Los Angeles.

"It's unreal," Blake Griffin said. "It's something that just keeps happening. We don't really talk about it. It wasn't like we said, 'OK guys, let's try to win all our games in December.' It just happened. It's a tribute to everyone in here. Everybody has played a huge part, one night or another.

"It's been unreal how many different ways we've won and how many different guys have shown up and how they've shown up. It's just a selfless attitude the team has taken on.

"It's fun. This is the most fun I've ever had playing basketball."

The Clippers led by as many as 13 points but couldn't polish off the Jazz. They led most of the way, save for a moment or two near the end of a lackluster third quarter. They also were tough-minded when they need to be, physical when it was called for and unwilling to be defeated.

Butler scored 17 points in the first quarter after sinking all five of his attempts from beyond the 3-point arc. Staples Center turned electric as it seemed the Clippers might have an easy night against a team they barely defeated 48 hours earlier in Utah.

Things went a little flat for the Clippers for a while. They couldn't get their high-wire act going against the Jazz, who kept them marching to the free-throw line instead of soaring overhead for crowd-pleasing dunks. The Clippers seemed puzzled at first, and their fans grew silent.

Utah wanted a rough-and-tumble game, so the Clippers played along as best they could.

Griffin, for example, scored only seven points and grabbed seven rebounds. Others made up for his low production, however, with Butler sinking 10 of 14 shots. Chris Paul scored 19 points and added nine assists, Jamal Crawford scored 19 points in a reserve role and DeAndre Jordan had 14 points.